tersely
Americanadverb
-
in an effectively concise manner; succinctly.
This phenomenally prolific creator of tersely plotted psychological thrillers deserves to be on your bookshelves.
The ordinance fulfills the tersely and clearly worded language of the city's comprehensive plan.
-
in an abruptly concise manner; brusquely.
“Maybe that's my business,” replied the girl tersely as she turned away.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tersely
Explanation
When you make a point without using very many words, you do it tersely. You could offer a long explanation for why you won't take your brother trick-or-treating — or answer tersely by saying "No." Tersely is from the adjective terse, which means "concise" but was originally defined as "clean-cut," from a root meaning "neat or clean." When you speak tersely, you do keep things tidy, using no extra words. In fact, something stated tersely can be so short and pithy that it can come across as brusque, or a little bit rude. Imagine asking a barista for more foam on your cappuccino and hearing them tersely reply, "Nope."
Vocabulary lists containing tersely
Out of My Mind
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Hoot
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A Monster Calls
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Using legalese, it said tersely that the administration was “unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge” to a district judge’s injunction that blocked the rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"We will not let anyone play us," Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned tersely on social media.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
The manager insults Kier in kind, who tersely thanks him for the "feedback," referring to him as "Seth" before shutting down.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
He responded tersely to a defendant’s attorney who argued that the current system had been in place for 100 years.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2024
“The doctor’s on a break. She’ll be back in twenty-five minutes,” the clerk said tersely.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
